FALL BACK INTO SHAPE THIS AUTUMN Now is the Time for Resuming Your Regular Workout Regimen
by Bob Bonham

FALL BACK INTO SHAPE THIS AUTUMN Now is the Time for Resuming Your Regular Workout Regimen

NEW YORK—The kids are going back to school, soon the weather will be getting cooler, many have taken their vacations, and days at the beach are numbered. With fall in the air, many will head back to the gym and their regular workout regimens as summer fades into autumn. Now is definitely the time to get more serious about your health, says fitness expert Bob Bonham of Strong & Shapely Gym in East Rutherford, NJ. He offers tips for easing back into your regular exercise routine this fall.

Create Good Habits Now Before the Holidays Start: Don’t wait until January to start “New Year’s resolutions.” September and October are perfect months to start a new diet, a new workout routine, or just set your mind to get in shape. Since the seasons are changing now, why not get a fresh start with your health? Why wait three more months to get started on working on a better body when you can do so now and create good eating and exercise habits long before the temptation and craziness of the holiday season?

Get Back to the Gym: Most of us have put off our regular exercise regimens due to the summer heat and vacations, but as the seasons change why not ease back into your routine? It takes just 30 days to truly get into the fitness habit once more. Just remember not to overdo it. If you haven’t been to the gym in a month or two, you’ll need to take it slow. That means you won’t be able to lift as much as you did previously and may not be able to spend as much time on the exercise bike. Slowly work your way back into your old routine, and by Thanksgiving, you should be in much better shape. Just remember to have a nice balance between resistance training such as weights and aerobic activities such as cardio (bikes, stair-climbing machines, etc).

Keep Convenience & Realistic Goals in Mind: If you decide to join a new gym, choose one that is convenient and near your home or office. It makes little sense to join an expensive health club that’s really not close to you and is far enough for you to make many excuses for not going on a regular basis. When setting goals, remember to be realistic. Don’t think you’re going to gain 50 pounds of solid muscle or lose 40 pounds in a month. That’s simply impossible. Set goals that you can attain easily and choose exercises that you actually like so that you will do them regularly and can easily stick to a routine. Also remember not to get too used to a routine because boredom will hurt your workout and produce little results if you do something too often. Remember to increase the amount of weight that you lift every two to three weeks. Do the same thing with your cardio routine; spend more time on cardio machines after a few weeks pass and you feel that you can do that extra 10 minutes on the exercise bike.

Fall Weather is Great for Outdoor Exercise: As the weather gets cooler, the crisp air is much better for outdoor exercise, especially running, hiking and cycling. In the heat of summer, you probably couldn’t exercise outdoors in the middle of the day, but as fall approaches, you can easily start taking lunchtime jogs or doing other outdoor activities once more.

Take Up a New Activity: Fall is a great time to start a new activity you’ve never pursued before. Once the kids are back in school, you may have more time to learn kickboxing, martial arts, aerobics or some other healthy activity you’ve often thought about trying. If you start learning a new sport or activity now, you can spend all fall and winter doing it, and will be in much better shape by next spring.

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Go on a Sensible Diet: Since beach season is over and the holidays are a few months away, now is the perfect time to learn new eating habits and change your diet. Instead of going on some crazy crash diet, learn to eat five to six smaller meals instead of three large ones. Load up on lean sources of protein (chicken and fish), complex carbohydrates (rice, oats, potatoes), fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid sugary sweets, high-fat fast food, and anything with processed sugar.

PRESS CONTACT: SCOTT HARRAH, SCOTTHARRAH2005@YAHOO.COM, 917-405-2272
The September 2007 issue of Men’s Exercise includes a feature on Bob Bonham’s tips for healthy eating for busy people in the magazine’s “Fantastic Facts” column. The January 2007 issue of Exercise for Men Only magazine wrote that Strong and Shapely Gym in East Rutherford, NJ is “widely renowned as one of the best training centers in America.” The gym is the training center for everyone from top athletes to business people just trying to stay in shape. The gym has 334 workout stations, with 12 computerized circuit machines (9 in stretching rooms), 60 leg machines, 35 for chest, 30 miscellaneous benches, 5 Smith machines, plus 1 neck, 14 shoulder, 41 back, 72 cardio, 7 lower back, 25 ab and 23 arm machines. Also look for 40, 675 pounds of free weights, 20,000 lbs of plates, 17, 700 lbs of dumbbells, 2075 lbs of fixed barbells and EZ-curls, 990 lbs of Olympic bars, and a posing room and sauna.
For more information, visit www.strong-and-shapely.com